I'm a European History buff. English history is fun and I love the Regency and Victorian periods, but my all-time favorite is German history. The history of Germany, Austria, and Switzerland just excites me for reasons I still cannot explain. Maybe someday I'll figure out why. Until then, I'll just keep reading everything I can get my hands on.

So, my point? Starting Jan 1 I will be running a monthly contest on my blog. Each day that I can get to a computer, I will post a "Today in History" minus the year. It will be the readers' job to find (or guess) and post the correct date for the fact. The first person to post the correct date will be entered in a drawing. At the end of each month, I will draw a name from the list of correct entrants for a prize. That's 30 chances a month to have your name in the hat. The more dates you get correct, the more times your name goes into the hat, so get those thinking caps on and prepare to research.

First challenge - January 1. Stay tuned.

March Addendum: Always requiring the date is boring, so I will be mixing it up and asking for other information, too.